Insights

SME Instrument has gained great first results, proving its worth in the European innovation ecosystem, stated European Commission's report "Accelerating Innovation in Europe". The SME Instrument is EU’s first research and innovation funding programme for high potential and high risk disruptive innovation in single SMEs. Part of Horizon 2020, the 80 B€ funding program is targeted for small and medium-sized businesses with high growth potential and global ambitions.

Vast amounts of plastics are used on a daily basis resulting in heavy impacts on the environment. The groundbreaking PEFerence project provides relief to the situation: applications such as packing materials, plastic bottles, personal and home care products and foil pouches can be produced from bio-based plastic, polyethylenefuranoate (PEF). Specifically, PEF can replace the most commonly used plastic, PET, in e.g. soda bottles and other packaging materials. The world's first industrial scale biorefinery plant, which will be built by the PEFerence project, can also produce other bio-based plastics for e.g. Lego bricks and industrial applications.  The products made of PEF will significantly help to replace fossil-based packaging materials and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Spinverse leads the project management of PEFerence, which has been awarded with 25M€ from European Joint Undertaking on Bio-Based Industries (BBI).

Spring 2017 brought many reasons to celebrate at Spinverse. Firstly, a 10-year anniversary celebration for Maria Papina, a consultant at Spinverse. She started work as a summer trainee at Spinverse 10 years ago in May 2007. The company has gone through quite a few changes since then, including the growth to a team of over 50 people in various countries.

Two large industry-driven DIMECC innovation programs led by Spinverse have successfully boosted both science and competitivity of the manufacturing industry in Finland through application-driven digitalized material R&D&I.

Single 5G network based on smart light poles opens new services and business.

The 2017 edition of EuroNanoForum’s biannual conference and the Nanotech Europe exhibition takes place 21-23 June, in Malta. The event will bring researchers, industrialists, policy makers and also EU citizens together and will help them to create together the road map to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness through the latest developments in nanotechnology and advanced materials.

The EU project IP4Plasma reached its finish line in the beginning of 2017 after three years of research and development. In the project, plasma equipment manufacturers and end-users worked with leading experts in research and technology innovation to bring cutting-edge IPR-protected innovations from the laboratory scale to industrial implementation for advanced surface treatment of materials. The project results are remarkable and include an advanced tuberculosis test, the development of a HIV detection test. new types of wound dressings with antibacterial properties and an improved sealing method for medical packaging.

Together with Confederation of Finnish Industries (Elinkeinoelämän keskusliitto EK), Oulu Entrepreneurship Society and Alltime, Spinverse facilitated the SMEhack to solve the global problem of littering. The hackathon for SMEs took place on January 28th, 2017 in Tellus Innovation Arena at University of Oulu.

Reijo Salonen, Senior Vice President of Research and Development of Pharmaceuticals and Chief Medical Officer from Orion and Reetta Kivelä, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer from Gold&Green Foods have been elected as Finland’s CTOs of the Year 2017. In the selection process, the emphasis was put on companies with significant societal impact. “Election of the awardees was exceptionally unanimous this year. Salonen and Kivelä have both shown their remarkable contribution to their companies and to their societal networks”, says Chairman of the Jury Harri Kerminen. CTO of the Year award is a joint undertaking by Tekes and Spinverse.

Spinverse is taking part in Slush - the hottest startup and tech event in the Nordics. It takes place on November 30th - December 1st, 2016 in Helsinki, Finland, with more than 17.000 attendees expected. Catch one of our experts to find your way to EU funding or navigate open Innovation ecosystems. Moreover, attend Slush side event: Smart Money from EIT RawMaterials on December 1st, where Catherine Bounsaythip of Spinverse will be talking about developing raw materials sector into a strategic strength for Europe.